Posted: March 21, 2011 at 1:02 am, Last Updated: March 21, 2011 at 1:09 pm

This information was provided by Women and Gender Studies

One of the arpilleras from Agosín’s collection. Courtesy of Marjorie Agosín

Human rights writer and activist Marjorie Agosín, professor of Spanish at Wellesley College, will headline a symposium on Monday, March 28, in the Johnson Center Cinema beginning at 1:30 p.m. Agosin will talk about the role of art in human rights activism in Latin America.

Agosín’s collection of arpilleras, the tapestries made by Chilean women, will be on display in Aquia Module from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, March 21, through Monday, March 28. A special preview event, including a screening of the documentary “Threads of Hope,” followed by a tour of the exhibit, will be held on Thursday, March 24, in Research I, Room 163, at noon.

“We are honored to have Professor Agosín and her collection of arpilleras on campus,” says Ricardo Vivancos-Perez, assistant professor of Spanish. “She was the keynote speaker for the Women and Gender Studies ‘Global Gender Justice Symposium’ in 2007, and we have been trying to arrange for her to return to Mason ever since.”

At the symposium, Vivancos-Perez will conduct a public interview with Agosín on “Gender, Arts and Human Rights in Latin America.” Following the interview, a panel of Mason faculty members, chaired by Paula Gilbert, professor of women and gender studies and modern and classical languages, will join Agosín for a discussion of “Human Rights, Women, and the Role of the Arts: Global Perspectives.”

“These wonderful arpilleras not only highlight the importance of a global perspective to human rights violations, they demonstrate the power of artistic expression in moving toward solutions and healing,” says Suzanne Scott, director of Women and Gender Studies.